


Taste of War

by Zoadgo



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fighting, Imminent Death Kisses, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 11:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1686653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoadgo/pseuds/Zoadgo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're all going to die. Clarke knows that, it's impossible to deny at this point. She fights as long as she can, but at some point you have to let go of hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taste of War

Bullets, arrows, and spears fly through the air, demonstrating the evolution of warfare. For all the differences between these instruments of death, they elicit the same reaction when they find their marks. Screaming, blood, death. It’s all around them, saturating the air and blanketing the forest. 

Clarke doesn’t notice the screaming anymore. She can’t. If she pauses to notice that, she _will_ die. She lost her gun some time ago and has been fighting the grounders with nothing but a knife and desperation. The battle has worn on for so long, though, and she can feel her limbs growing heavy. Her mind has long since numbed to the horrors around her, but her body is only now alerting her of the numerous injuries she’s sustained.

A hand grabs her and pulls her into a hollow underneath a fallen tree. She lets out what would have been a shout at the start of the battle but is now more of a feral growl as she wrenches out of the grasp and raises her knife to stab. She pulls the attack inches away from her target, almost not realizing that the hand belongs to Bellamy.

“Bellamy! What the hell?!? I almost killed you!” She whispers harshly, not wanting to give away their location quite yet. It’s awfully nice to not be dodging death for a second.

“Not the first person to try today…” His voice is low and gravelly. Clarke has a vague memory of him letting out war cries and shouting inspiration that she’s pretty sure came straight out of history books.

“How bad is it?” She slumps next to him, knowing the answer but hoping he’ll tell her something different. Hoping he won’t tell her none of them will ever see a sunset again.

“You know that answer better than me, princess.” She chuckles at his use of the old nickname.

“Going to use that one right up until the end, huh?”

He smiles at her, the genuine smile that he reserves for Octavia and, on rare occasion, her. “Absolutely. You know why?”

“Hm?” 

“Because it’s true. You’re our warrior princess, my princess. You’re the one who tried to create a society, not just tried to survive. I helped us live, but you made us thrive. You think I’m mocking you when I say it, and maybe I was at first, but I think the time for mockery is behind us now, don’t you agree?”

“Yeah,” She says as a blush warms her cheeks. Funny to think she could still be embarrassed by flattery in a situation like this. “I do.”

They sit there for a moment in the midst of their destruction. For all the screaming and cries and pleas to various gods that she hears, Clarke finds one thing disturbing. There’s no birds. She loves the birds, the sound of them chirping in the early morning. And now they’re gone. Frightened away because Clarke hadn’t thought things through enough, hadn’t lied to make peace.

The chaos starts to fade, and Bellamy looks over at her. She sees her own thoughts reflected in his eyes. They both know that they’ll likely die as soon as they step out of their hollow. But they have to go out fighting, hiding isn’t an option anymore.

“Time to face the music, huh?” She doesn’t expect a reply. Clarke adjusts her grip on her knife and begins the stand, but Bellamy stops her with a hand on her arm.

“Just one sec. I’m gonna do something I’ve been meaning to do since our trip, princess.”

“Wha-“

Clarke doesn’t get to ask what he’s talking about. Bellamy pulls on her arm and spins her to him, pressing his lips to hers. Shock stills her for a moment, but then Clarke realizes they may die at any second. She tangles her fingers in his hair and deepens the kiss, feeling the flame of life that had been flickering out within her come back with a roar. She tastes sweat and blood on his lips and knows that she tastes the same. They taste of war, of death.

“Fuck this.” She breathes against his lips when they break, foreheads resting together, “I’m gonna live.”

And just maybe, she thinks as she steps into the battle again, they taste of life.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this post!](http://captain-hook-is-emmas-lobster.tumblr.com/post/86565620095/i-just-want-a-scene-in-the-finale-when-everyone) I had to prove I can still write, so this is super short and shit. Edited by [coldsaturn](http://coldsaturn.tumblr.com) 'cause it's 5am and she's fabulous.
> 
> Anywho, talk to me on [tumblr!](http://randommaces.tumblr.com) Thanks for commenting/viewing/leaving kudos <3


End file.
